IzuMina Week 2018
by darkfire1220
Summary: Seven prompts from the 2018 IzuMina Week run by quirkquartz on Tumblr! Prompts include adult/pro AU, childhood friends, Fantasy AU, dorms, project partners, family, and same hairstylist. Enjoy the wonderful shenanigans of this fluffy rare pair and their endless capacity for trouble!
1. Mornings (AdultPro AU)

_Chapter One: Mornings (Adult AU)_

Izuku had a habit of waking up before the alarm clock went off.

This was always followed by him reaching for said alarm clock and turning it off because he knew how much Mina _hated_ being woken up by the infernal creation. They had the thing in their room because if Izuku ever had to take off early for his office, Mina would undoubtedly fall back asleep and would miss her own departure time if she wasn't woken again by the "ancient torture device" that was the alarm clock.

Mina very much preferred being woken up by Izuku when they got to leave together for work instead. Like this morning.

She moaned sleepily as he got his arms back around her midsection and squeezed gently, planting a kiss on her shoulder to rouse the young woman. Izuku couldn't help but smirk a bit. Even though he'd known her for five years and dated her for three, her reluctance to wake up in the morning was still as endearing as ever.

Mina was an adorable sleeper. She _loved_ to cuddle (and after introducing Izuku to the art of cuddling, addicted him to it as well) and these moments they had together in the morning were probably her favorites because Izuku would slowly wake her up with soft squeezes and kisses.

It was a million times better than being woken up by the incessant screaming of her alarm clock and she purposely woke up slowly so it would last longer. On days like today, she especially took her time enjoying Izuku's sweet attempts to rouse her.

After twenty minutes of trying to wake Mina up, Izuku's lips touched the shell of her ear as he murmured softly. "Are you ever going to wake up?"

"It's Saturday, babe," she replied in a little sigh, twisting so that she was facing him. She still refused to open her eyes and only snuggled closer to him. "No office hours today. Emergency calls only."

"That's a no, then," he chuckled. She grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips, smiling throughout the short contact. Mina was quick to bury her face back into his neck and Izuku nuzzled her hair with his nose. "Breakfast?"

"Cereal can wait."

"What if I cook?"

"Izuuuu," she whined. He was too good of a cook for her to argue against this offer. "That's not fair. Don't make me _want_ to get up!"

He laughed again. "Any special requests?"

"Let me think about it for another twenty minutes."

Izuku was more than willing to give her that time, but he also didn't want her to doze off and knew _just_ how to keep her awake. It had taken a long time for him to figure this out and work up the nerve to try it out, but now Izuku was comfortable enough with Mina to pull this particular trick of his off.

Mina gasped as she felt Izuku lightly bite the corner of her jaw and throat, sending tingles up her spine and setting her blood alight when he repeated the action, but a little harder and whilst lowering his hands to squeeze her thighs. He nibbled a few more times, slowly working his hands up and down her thighs and squeezing gently as he did. After a few minutes of doting on her, he gripped her waist and rolled Mina so she was lying on top of him. Izuku then sat up, bringing her so she was straddling his lap.

She shivered in delight as his hands trailed up and down her spine. She knew what he was up to, (he'd woken her up like this many times before, after all) but couldn't bring herself to protest despite her desire to sleep longer. She just loved what came next too much.

That was, of course, when he actually went _through_ with it.

Mina whined as Izuku stopped his ministrations for a few seconds and realized he was done for now. She opened her eyes at last and pouted at him, knowing he'd gotten her riled specifically so that she'd wake up.

"Meanie."

"I love you," he replied with that little smirk he always made whenever he woke her up with these… _teases_ of his, which was fairly often. Mina glared at him for being entirely too attractive and cursing how easily he picked up on what made her tick since they started dating. He was still introverted and shy at times, but he'd become so much more confident around her over the years. When they first moved into their apartment and these morning love sessions of theirs became a common thing, Mina knew she was done for.

This man drove her _insane_ and she loved him for it.

"I want peanut butter waffles with buttered toast on the side and strawberries for breakfast," she told him, refusing to let go of her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around his neck and scooted closer to him so she was flush against his shirtless torso. Mina felt him tense a little and smirked.

She knew how to work him, too.

 _"_ _But you're going to finish waking me up first, or I will drag you back in here if it's the last thing I do,"_ she breathed into his ear.

Her nails scratched lightly against his shoulders and Izuku sucked in a sharp breath. Two could play this game and Mina had been the one to teach Izuku how in the first place, even if it had been a mutual learning experience for both of them.

Izuku's nose brushed hers and his eyes became dark and lidded. Mina felt her spine melt into goop as those already enchanting green eyes of his became irresistible with his love for her. That was what she loved most of all about these little morning romps of theirs. How clearly she could see that he loved her.

How clearly she felt how much she loved him, too.

His fingers were already pulling at the hem of her tank top as his lips brushed against hers, a soft smile on his face. "You always get the final say, don't you?"

"Mmhm. Cheers, love," Mina whispered happily against his lips as her eyes closed and she kissed him fully, sparking their affections for each other into a need they couldn't resist. A while later, when they finally left their room for breakfast, they were both fully awake and more than ready for whatever shenanigans the day brought upon them.


	2. Marked (Childhood Friends)

_Chapter Two: Marked (Childhood Friends)_

Mina was good at remembering people. Despite her less-than-stellar grades in class, she was considered to be a pretty smart person with a good memory. It was rare for her to forget something that she deemed important.

Which was why she was absolutely vexed whenever she saw Izuku Midoriya, one of her new classmates. He was adorably shy and nerdy with an extremely…well, plain appearance. Not to be mean or anything, but his average looks and meek personality were just easily forgettable.

So why did she feel like she ought to know who he was?

She kept quiet about it for a long time- months, in fact. There was no need to spook the timid boy with questions that he might not understand. It could have been a feeling Mina had because Izuku was so average looking that she mistook him for someone else. Perhaps that was it.

But the feeling that Mina knew Izuku from somewhere before U.A still continued to eat away at the back of her mind. It wasn't until they were preparing for the exams that would conclude their first year at U.A that she actually approached him about it…sort of.

Actually, her way of "approaching" Izuku consisted of Mina accidentally firing a jet of weak acid at him during combat practice and getting the poor boy's back absolutely soaked in the stuff. She had freaked out and rushed over to him to neutralize the acid, only to discover that his costume had taken the brunt of the damage. Izuku was fine with the exception of a few small burns from bits of acid that had splattered on his neck, but it looked no worse than a mild sunburn.

Still, Aizawa told her to take Izuku to Recovery Girl just to be safe and get his costume to the Support branch for repairs. Mina would've taken him there, anyways.

She'd been kind-of-sort-of crushing on Izuku for the better part of three months now…and had been thinking about possibly making a move soon. What better way to tell your crush you like them than to douse them in burning acid? Smooth, girl.

"You're sure it doesn't hurt?" She asked anxiously for the umpteenth time. Mina felt really bad about how she'd burned him. Their practice battle had been a disaster; a one-on-one fight that ended because Izuku tripped and Mina got too zealous with her acid output. She had _witnessed_ Aizawa face-palming not a second after the event.

"I-I'm fine!" He promised, feeling extremely nervous given that Mina was so close to him. The normally carefree girl had a habit of losing her sense of personal space when she was concerned for someone. "It d-doesn't hurt at all!"

"I'll be the judge of that," Recovery Girl muttered as she hobbled over, a gel packet in her hand. "Rub that over your burns. It should soothe any irritation and prevent infections. Let it sit until it dries and then take your costume in for repairs."

"I will," Izuku agreed, knowing better than to risk the Nurse's wrath.

Recovery Girl turned to Mina. "Aizawa already told me you're to stay with him and see that his costume gets to the Support branch. Don't slack off."

"Yes, ma'am," Mina promised.

The old healer retreated to the back of her office then to organize supplies while Izuku made to tear open the gel packet. He paused when Mina took the packet from him and opened it herself. "Let me do it. I messed you up, I should be the one to fix you. Here, take off your top. Some of the acid might've burnt all the way through your costume."

Izuku's face turned red as he nodded silently, lifting his arms and slipping out of his semi-destroyed top. It was a good thing his costume consisted of multiple pieces now instead of the single jumpsuit. That could've been _really_ awkward if he had to take that off.

Mina whistled with a cheshire cat smile on her face as Izuku's torso was revealed to her eyes. "Damn boy, you lift."

Izuku's face reddened further until he resembled a tomato and he stuttered helplessly, trying and failing to contain his embarrassment while Mina cackled at the sight. She meant him no harm, but there was something truly special about playfully teasing the shy, awkward teen.

"I'm teasing you, Izuku," she told him gently as she started to apply the gel over his burns. "But really, you look great. You should be proud of yourself."

She meant that, too. Izuku might've been plain-looking at first glance, but holy crap he was _toned_ beneath that shirt. Mina didn't spend nearly any of her time fawning over men, (she had better things to do) but she didn't mind taking a few moments to appreciate this little, visual treat Izuku had given her.

Being physically attractive was just a minor detail, especially with Izuku's sweet personality. It didn't mean Mina was crushing on him a _little_ more just because Izuku had awesome abs. So her kind-of-sort-of crush was actually pretty hot on top of being super cute and smart. No need to blow that out of proportion. Nope, not at all.

Mina was applying the gel to his shoulders when she noticed something peculiar about Izuku's bottom lip. There was a small scar near the right corner, barely discernible from the soft, pink skin around it. She tilted her head curiously at the sight. "Hey, what's this from?"

She poked at the scar with a gel-free finger, causing Izuku's spine to stiffen until it was ramrod-straight. "I-it's nothing! J-just, uh, I bit myself!"

"You sure? Doesn't look like a bite," Mina said disbelievingly. It was a little too rough to be a bite scar. The mark also looked kind of…familiar.

Mina glanced from the scar on his lip to the recent burns he'd gained courtesy of her acid and blinked as she realized that the marks were actually…really similar. Of course, the burns were fresh, but they looked almost identical.

…wait.

Mina's eyes widened and she looked up into Izuku's eyes, which were staring back like a frightened deer in headlights. "Where'd you get this scar?"

"Um…at a park?"

The park.

Oh. _Oh._

Mina felt the gears clicking into place as she stepped back and looked at Izuku, really looked at him. He seemed as nervous as ever, but there was something about how he stared back at her that made it feel like he was waiting anxiously for her to say something.

As though he were expecting her to figure something out.

"Oh my gosh," Mina's mouth fell open as she realized exactly who she was looking at.

Izuku swallowed nervously. "D-do you remember?"

"I-yes!" Now it was _Mina's_ turn to blush, her cheeks taking on a lilac tint as the blood rushed to her face. "…you were my hero friend, right?"

"Yeah."

"…Alien Princess and Mini-Might?"

"…yeah."

"And..you got that scar at the end when we…" She trailed off and buried her face into her hands in embarrassment.

Oh, how could she have forgotten about _this?_

Mina's family had taken a week-long trip to this area after her younger brother was born because they were thinking about moving. They had come to check the town out before making a decision on whether to move or not. During that time, the then five-year old Mina frequented a park around the corner from the hotel they'd stayed at.

She'd made a friend there on the spot. A little boy who loved heroes. She'd seen him playing with some All Might toys and asked to join in, which he was more than happy to oblige to. He was eager to jump into games with Mina.

They'd played for hours that first day. Mina came back the day after and he was there again- apparently, it was a favorite of his.

They joined up and played there every day after that for the entire week, changing their games constantly, yet always involving heroics into them somehow. It didn't take long for them to come up with their own hero names and start pretending to fight villains and stuff.

The last day, they'd been playing a rescue game where Mina was the hero and Izuku was a person who needed help (Izuku had already rescued Mina and she wanted to try it out, too). When Mina "rescued" Izuku from the inside of a tube slide where he'd been "held captive" she decided, in her five-year old wisdom, that the hero deserved a kiss for her heroic action.

Izuku, though shy about the act, was okay with it because this sort of thing was common in the comic books and hero cartoons he watched. Mina was surprised that he'd agreed so easily and when the little boy leaned forward, she got a little nervous. Their lips had barely brushed when Izuku felt something burning his skin.

Mina remembered how badly she and Izuku had startled when her Quirk activated by accident from her nerves and burned his bottom lip. It wasn't a bad burn and the acid was weak, but it scared them both into crying and Izuku's mother had rushed over to the slide to bring them both out. She hadn't been upset with Mina and told the little girl it was alright while dabbing at the stinging burn on Izuku's lower lip.

Izuku didn't stay upset for very long once the stinging stopped, but Mina had to leave after that because her family was packing up for the trip back home. She told Izuku she might move here and that they could play some more. Izuku had happily agreed.

It wasn't to be. Her parents decided to move elsewhere because they hadn't found any housing they particularly liked in that area, despite Mina's many protests. Years passed and the little boy whom she shared their first kisses with slipped from her mind.

Until now.

 _"_ _Ohhh my god,"_ Mina was positive she had _never_ blushed this hard in her entire life. For goodness sake, this had happened over ten years ago and she was still so embarrassed. But maybe it was even more embarrassing because this was a boy whom she was admittedly quite smitten with and she'd found a way to get acid on him multiple times.

Of course she wouldn't remember burning him with her acid until she burned him _again_.

Izuku rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, looking anywhere but at her. His face was as red as hers was, making his freckles practically glow.

Well, wasn't this just the ultimate definition of an awkward silence.

Mina finally managed to pull her hands off her eyes, but they stayed cupped around her mouth as she looked at him hesitantly. "Izuku, I…I don't know what to say."

"That's a first," his lips twitched up a bit, but he still didn't look at her, nervous as he was. "You're still a chatterbox like you were when we were kids."

"I feel so bad, I never realized…" She looked down at her feet. "Wait, why didn't you tell me when we came to U.A?"

"…I thought you might want to forget about it," Izuku said quietly. "I mean, it was forever ago and well…You're so popular and funny and outgoing and cool and I…I'm not any of those things. I didn't want to embarrass you."

 _Dammit,_ she was blushing again. _A lot_. Her face was completely lilac now. Mina was kind of happy he hadn't looked at her yet because she'd never felt so embarrassed in her entire life. She didn't know what to do here. He was still Izuku, the cute (and hot) nerd she had a pretty heavy crush on, but he was also her super hero friend whom she exchanged their first kisses with.

They were the _same_ person.

And…the idea of that made her stomach flutter pleasantly.

She smiled a little at the ground. Mina wasn't sure what made her feel so uncharacteristically shy, but she felt really happy for some reason at the same time. "I missed you."

Izuku glanced at her slowly and froze in place at the sight of Mina, staring at her feet and smiling softly with a lilac blush dusting her cheeks. The expression upon her face sent an explosion of butterflies all over his insides.

He gulped down a stutter and looked away, unable to fight the twitching of his lips as they curled up into a matching smile. "I missed you, too."

* * *

 **A/N: Yay, day two done! Tomorrow is the Fantasy AU for day three!**


	3. The Fountain of Youth (Fantasy AU)

_Chapter Three: The Fountain of Youth (Fantasy)_

"Ah! That's it!" Izuku exclaimed.

The teenage knight had finally reached his destination- a mystical lake deep in the Forest of Fog. It was here that he could find the Fountain of Youth, which would grant him the healing power he so desperately needed to wield his magic. His Master, All Might, had given him instructions to find this place, as had become custom for all those who inherited the power of One for All.

* * *

 _"_ _One for All wasn't that powerful in the past, but as time went on and it was passed from person to person, it grew much stronger until eventually, a time came where it would destroy a normal human body," All Might had told him whilst leaning on his gigantic sword, Excalibur. "My predecessor was the first to experience this problem. However, she had been born as a disciple of the druids and realized that if she could gain the magic of the Fountain of Youth, the overwhelming power of One for All wouldn't destroy her body."_

 _"_ _How could the Fountain of Youth help?" Izuku queried curiously. "Doesn't it give someone eternal life?"_

 _"_ _It does, but only so long as one remains close to it and continues to drink its waters," All Might said. "If one drinks from the fountain, they gain temporary regenerative magic that can sustain a body forever. But if one wanted to keep that regenerative power with them when they left the fountain, they would need to be blessed by the druids first. They would not be immortal once they left the fountain, but they would still retain that regenerative magic which heals most injuries."_

 _Izuku realized the purpose of this journey he needed to take immediately. "So I just have to find the fountain and get the blessing of the druids?"_

 _All Might chuckled. "It's not that easy, young man. The druids are…difficult to understand, one might say. You never know what they're going to do. They'll test you in ways you likely won't be expecting. Prepare yourself for the ordeal they'll put you through. If you aren't accepted by them, you will be unable to wield One for All without dealing severe harm to yourself."_

 _That didn't give him a good feeling, but Izuku was prepared to do anything to wield his magic properly. "Where do I find it?"_

 _"_ _It's location is kept secret by the druids and their disciples, like my master," All Might explained. "But she gave me the location on the singular condition that I speak of it to no one but my own successor. I now demand the same of you. The Fountain's location must be kept secret. Swear on your life you will reveal it to no one but your successor."_

 _"_ _I swear it!"_

* * *

Finding the fountain had been tricky- the Forest of Fog was notorious for the number of people who trekked into it in search of the fountain, only to go missing and never be seen again. Izuku had been afraid at first that he'd go missing too, but oddly enough, he found the fountain within just a day. All Might had said the druids confused those with bad intentions with their magic and guided those with good, so maybe the druids liked him? He couldn't imagine what caused them to let him get so close so easily, but maybe they sensed the power of One for All inside of him.

Izuku set his bag down on the edge of the crystal lake and locked his eyes on the island in the very center. Upon it was a large, diamond bowl with water welling up from the lake itself. Hanging over it was a massive willow- a beautiful tree that curtained the top half of the bowl, but never touched it.

"Okay…" Izuku took a deep breath. He was going to have to go for a swim, it seemed.

He was just about to dive in when he heard a splash in the middle of the small lake and froze at the sight of what appeared to be a human standing up out of the water. Izuku's face burned bright red when he realized the figure was not only naked, but distinctly female. He yelped and fell back, moving to cover his face as the girl spun towards him. However, he stopped when he caught sight of her eyes.

Hauntingly beautiful amber irises stared at him within a curtain of shining black sclera, wide and surprised at the sight of him. Only now did Izuku realize that the girl's skin was lavender colored and two small horns protruded from the top of her head.

His blood froze. A demon?!

He was back on his feet and had his sword, Elucidator, in hand immediately. Izuku focused on her face to stop his blushing as best he could as he glared at the creature. How had a demon gotten here? Those amber and black eyes were a dead giveaway- did the druids not care about her presence? Or had she done something to the druids?

The demoness screamed and fell back into the water until it covered her shoulders, glaring at him furiously. "Hey! Stop staring at me!"

"I'm not turning my back on you!" He snapped, holding Elucidator between them. "How did a demon even get here?! The druids should be protecting the fountain!"

"That's my line!" She retorted. "How did _you_ get here?! Humans are denied by the druids for their greed! Only their disciples are allowed to get to the fountain!"

"I came here so that I could wield my magic properly," Izuku growled. All Might had told him that the druids would test him. Was this what he meant? Did he have to purge the demon?

Demons were the cause of much strife in the kingdom. They were not of this world and brought with them curses and violence. Izuku's own father had been slain by a demon when he was a child- he'd never encountered one like this, one that resembled a human to this degree, but he dared not underestimate her for that.

Izuku crouched in preparation to lunge at her, his sword at the ready. The demon's eyes narrowed and she held up a hand threateningly as her fingers clenched like claws. He saw some kind of liquid forming around her skin- part of her curse, perhaps? He'd have to avoid it.

 _"_ _Enough."_

Both of them froze at the sound of another voice, which sounded like a whisper from the trees. _"You will not defile this place with violence. You are both being tested- you shall not fight or you shall both fail."_

Izuku couldn't locate the source of the voice no matter where he looked. "Are you a druid? Why did you let a demon reach the fountain?"

 _"_ _Our motives are not your concern. Ask her yourself."_

"I'm not telling you anything!" The demoness hissed. "And if you look at me again I'll tie you to a tree for the rest of your life!"

 _"_ _Peace, little one,"_ the voice whispered. _"You should both be grateful. Rare are the days when two are tested by we druids for the fountain's blessing. If you are wise, look past what your minds tell you and work together."_

Izuku glanced back at the demoness in disbelief. "Work with a demon?"

"Work with a human?" She retorted, lowering her mouth into the water and blowing bubbles angrily as she glared at him.

 _"_ _You have heard our conditions,"_ the druid said firmly. _"Succeed or fail. The choice is yours."_

The voice fell silent then, leaving the young man and demon to glare at one another across the waters.

"I was here first, so I make the rules!" The demoness snapped. "One, you _never_ look at me, especially when I'm out of the water! Two, you stay on the shore right there! I'll stay on the island!"

"That's not fair!" Izuku shouted back. "The fountain is on the island!"

"So? The water in the lake still has the regeneration magic from the fountain," she dismissed. "Drink that. Third, if you decide to bathe, you go behind the willow over there where I don't have to watch."

She jabbed her finger in the direction of the enormous tree, but Izuku only continued to glare at her in annoyance. "Why don't you just put some clothes on?"

"Shut up, I don't have any," she growled with even greater irritation than before.

"So what, you've just been wandering through the forest naked?"

"How was I supposed to know coming to the human world would make my magic go wild?!" She retorted. "My clothes melted away because of my acid! And anything I've tried to put on in the human world melts too! It's not my fault your world does weird things to my magic, okay?!"

"Ugh," Izuku really, really didn't want to have to deal with this. She was a demon, but it didn't change the fact that she looked very much like a young woman and he would die of blushing if he caught one too many glimpses of her full-on like before. He knelt to his bag and rummaged through it, muttering to himself. Thank the gods his friends had given him some stuff for this trip.

He pulled out a long, black robe and held it out towards the demoness. "Put this on. It's enchanted with magic to be more durable than average clothing."

The demon looked at the article of clothing suspiciously. "How do I know you aren't tricking me or something?"

"Because I would like to pass the druid's test, that's why," he said. "They'd fail me if I tried to kill you."

She glared at him for a few moments longer before answering him. "Turn your head around."

Izuku did so reluctantly and refused to look as he heard her wading towards him through the water. The robe was tugged from his grasp and he waited a little longer, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword just in case.

"Hey, this thing isn't melting! Cool!"

"Like I said, it's been enchanted with- AHH!" Izuku screamed and twisted his head back sharply after glancing at the demoness, who had the robe on, but had not yet tied it at the front. He'd gotten more than he'd bargained for with that split-second. Cheeks burning like wildfire, he snapped at her again desperately. "WOULD YOU TIE IT ALREADY?!"

"Oh, don't get your panties in a twist," she snapped. There was a pause and a ruffle of cloth, then she finally spoke again. "There."

Izuku looked back slowly, suspicious that this was a trick of hers, but felt relief go through him when he saw that she had tied the robe properly. The demoness inspected the clothing, which covered her from her shoulders down to the middle of her thighs, and shrugged. "It's not cute, but it'll do for now. Better than going naked all the time. Okay, rule one is omitted except when I'm bathing."

"Noted," Izuku muttered, still holding his sword tightly.

The demoness spotted his hand and rolled her eyes. "Will you quit being a tight-ass? You heard the druids, I can't kill you either if I want the fountain's blessing."

"Why do you need the fountain's blessing, anyway?" Izuku asked guardedly.

She held her hand up, making him stiffen, but she only began to secrete the liquid from earlier over her skin. "Because my magic can't be controlled in this world and I've no way to get back to the demon world. The druids told me that if I gain their blessing, the fountain's magic might stabilize my power. I could go around without worrying about melting my clothes off all the time."

"…don't tell me you've been getting acid in the water all this time."

"Duh, but the water's magic neutralizes it almost instantly," she shrugged, plopping down to sit a few meters away from him. "Don't worry, drinking it ain't gonna melt you into a puddle or something."

"What are you being so nice for all of a sudden?"

"I have clothes that won't melt and I've even got company now. The druids don't do much talking. It gets really boring around here, honestly. Besides, didn't that druid lady say we needed to work together to get their blessing?"

"I guess…"

"Welp, we might as well work together then!"

Izuku nodded reluctantly, but still cast a glare towards her. "Don't think this makes me trust you, though. I've seen what you demons do when you meet people. This is a one-time deal."

Her eyes dulled a little and her mouth set in a line. "Fine, be that way."

* * *

A week had passed. In that time, Izuku and the demoness made a schedule of sorts with their uneasy peace, bathing in the morning and at night at separate times to avoid encountering one another in a…compromised state. They gathered food separately (of which there were plenty of fruits and berries around) and slept in their designated spots- Izuku on the shore and the demon on the island.

They didn't speak much. Neither of them knew what the druids wanted, so their conversations got them nowhere, which only irritated them more when they were around one another. It wasn't exactly what one would call a budding friendship.

Izuku flopped down onto his sleeping mat with a sigh. He couldn't understand what the druids wanted from him or why they insisted he let the demon live here. Weren't demons and druids supposed to be polar opposites of each other? One light, the other dark? It didn't make any sense.

"Aren't you cheery?"

He opened one eye and spotted the demon walking out of the forest nearby, munching on an apple. She had always been the one to approach him, never the other way around. Izuku was having a hard time accepting that she was anything but one of the demons that killed his father. Oh sure, she was beautiful, but those were just her human features. Her demonic traits threw off any liking to her he might've taken otherwise.

"I don't understand the point of us being here," he retorted. "I'm wasting my time. The others need me back home and I have to be able to use my magic properly or I won't be of any help to them."

"You're rushing things," she said, taking another bite. "Maybe you need to relax a bit."

"How would you know?"

The demoness glanced at him, ignoring his tone as best she could. "I've been here for nearly two years. You've been here for a week."

Izuku blinked at her disbelievingly. "That long?"

"Yup. This place has everything I need to stay alive," she said, glancing around the forest. "I mean, I can't leave here because I can't control my magic, but maybe I shouldn't leave at all. You're the first visitor I've gotten since I came here and well…you're kind of an ass. Can't imagine what the rest of you humans are like."

"What would you even do if you left here?" He demanded. "We have enough trouble with demons without another one running around."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! Only a fraction of demons even bother coming to the human world to attack you guys! Most of us just come here for fun and then hop back to the demon world."

"So why didn't you?"

"I was too eager. I wanted to see this place as soon as I could, but I never learned how to make a magic gate back to the demon world," she explained, leaning against a tree as she continued to eat. "I heard the human world was really beautiful, and it is…but it's terrifying at the same time. I was driven into the woods by a bunch of humans in shiny armor or something. What are they called…knights? Seriously, you guys are barbarians, trying to kill children like that."

"You're not much of a child," he muttered.

"Not anymore. I was twelve when I came to the human world," she said. "I've been living around the fountain for the five years following that. I can't go home and I can't leave this place. It's…it's lonely."

Izuku did feel…kind of bad about that. He couldn't imagine being trapped in an alien world like this, safe, but never able to leave. Staying here with no one but the occasional whisper of the druids for conversation and no company save the plants and animals that lived here…it sounded like such a bittersweet existence.

"How do you get back to the demon world, then?" He asked.

"I don't know," she replied. "I never learned how. I was so excited when daddy told me about the mountains and the forests here. The demon world is a lot different than this place. There isn't much light and it's pretty in its own unique way, but…it's hard to enjoy at times. Here…there's sunlight and moonlight and everything has so much color. I miss my home, but this place…I love it and I hate it for being so beautiful, but wanting to be rid of me. I guess I really am grateful the druids let me live here, even if I want to explore the world more."

"Anyways…I just decided on impulse one day to come here and see things for myself," she continued. "Now I'm stuck here until the druids give me their blessing. After that…who knows? Maybe I'll explore the human world more, or maybe I'll try to find a way back to the demon world. I'm sure my family misses me, but I don't want to be trapped there after all this."

She looked wistful, yet there was a peace to her face as well. Izuku caught himself staring for a little longer than was appropriate and immediately rebutted himself. Okay, so she wasn't the type of demon that went around wanting to kill or eat people all the time. That didn't mean…

"Hey, what's your name?"

Izuku jarred out of his thoughts and blinked at her. "What?"

"Your name," she repeated. "Do you mind telling me? I…don't actually know what to call you."

He hesitated at first, unsure if it was a good idea to tell her his name, but he found it difficult to refuse when he caught sight of the look on her face. She was trying to hide it, but he could see a desperation in her eyes- a desperation to connect, somehow, with someone whom she could actually talk to. Someone to fill the void of those five years she'd spent here alone.

Izuku, at heart, was a good person. And he couldn't bring it upon himself to be cruel to someone who so clearly needed his help. Even if she was a demon.

"Izuku," he answered her. "My name is Izuku."

Her amber eyes practically glowed and Izuku couldn't stop staring as her lips curved into the biggest smile he'd ever seen. She looked positively radiant amidst the coming silver moonlight and there was an energy about her he'd never noticed before.

"Izuku," she repeated to herself softly. "I like it. It feels new and different, but kind of familiar, too."

The demoness suddenly knelt beside him, making Izuku stiffen, but she only leaned on her arm to look at him more closely. Her expression became a little nervous. "My name is Mina."

 _Mina._

What an oddly simple and…well, cute name for a demon, he thought. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but that certainly wasn't it. Izuku couldn't help but look at her, bewildered that this demon had a name like that. Studying her face, he felt that the name suited her. It was a little exotic and lovely, much like she was.

…great, he was becoming attracted to her human features again.

And yet…Izuku thought that those amber eyes, soft and not at all like the harsh gold he'd seen in other demons, were actually rather beautiful. The black sclera around them was not a void, but reflected the light in a way that complimented her features. Her skin, while an unusual color, was not ugly, either. Actually, when he looked at her, the only word that Izuku could think of was…soft.

She just looked soft. Her personality was erratic and unpredictable, sure, but she was never overly harsh. He'd seen her fearlessly climb trees for the best fruit and there was no question how athletic she was with that and how much she seemed to enjoy swimming. The demoness had never shown a violent side in the entire time of him being here. Either she was an incredible actor, or…

No, that made no sense. The druids were able to sense the hearts of all who came here. They wouldn't let a creature who lived on lies into their most sacred ground.

Which meant that the only other option, Izuku's mind offered him, was that she was actually good. Despite being a demon, Mina wasn't inherently evil.

She was fidgeting slightly and Izuku realized she was waiting for him to say something about her name. He finally answered her, though he did so without thinking. "I like your name, too. It's a pretty name."

In hindsight, that wasn't the first thought that should've come out of his mouth, but it was too late to take it back. Izuku face heated up a bit in embarrassment as he watched lilac spread over Mina's cheeks. She averted her eyes, biting her lip to stop herself from smiling too much, but she was failing amazingly. "Thank you."

* * *

Their interactions became much friendlier after that night. Though there was some tentativeness at first, perhaps telling one another their names had eased the tension some. For the next three weeks, Izuku and Mina spent nearly every waking hour together, foraging and trying to discover what the druids wanted from them. They'd still yet to be given a specific task, which confused both of them, but at least the company was nice.

Izuku quickly discovered that Mina loved to play. Perhaps it was because she'd been without company for so long, but she loved to run around in the woods, convincing him to play hide and seek or some other childish game. And oddly enough…he enjoyed it, too. There was something refreshing about the carefree girl and her endless energy.

There was also her laugh. Mina laughed and smiled so much whenever he saw her. More than most people, actually. She was just a happy person, it seemed. Her bright personality was contagious, as well- he found himself smiling often, without even meaning to most of the time.

His suspicions of her faded before too long. Mina had a habit of going out into the woods early in the morning to watch the birds and small creatures of the forest begin their daily foraging. Izuku had followed her once to see what she was sneaking away for, but she was really just taking time to enjoy the sights. She seemed to love watching the little creatures live their lives and the knowledge of that made it seem impossible for Izuku to believe that she could be bad at all.

She was a demon, and she was good. It confused him, and yet he was grateful that she was so kind. Not just because it meant he didn't have a vicious neighbor, but…well, because he was growing fond of her.

He wanted to gain the blessing of the druids and return home to continue his training as a knight, but Izuku didn't think he wanted to leave Mina here on her own. He wished he knew what the druids were testing her on, because he didn't want to leave here, knowing that Mina would remain trapped and alone once more.

The line he'd always held between humans and demons was becoming blurred with Mina's presence. Time and time again, she defied his pre-conceived notions of what demons were like and threw him for a loop. And almost every time, she got a smile out of him whilst doing so.

By the time Izuku realized he didn't want to leave without her, a month had passed.

* * *

"Izuku! Izuku, wake up!"

He was jolted awake by the sound of panic in Mina's voice and the way she urgently shook his shoulders. It was barely dawn, but she was wide awake despite how late they'd stayed up talking. She'd even fallen asleep on the shore beside him instead of retreating to the island again. "What is it?"

"The lake!" She exclaimed in a panic. "It's dried up!"

Izuku was fully awake in an instant and sat up in a rush of motion, eyes going wide at the sight of the previously full lake as bone-dry as a desert. How was that possible? It had been full not hours ago!

"How…" He barely got the words out, shocked as he was. Izuku stood up and fixed his eyes on the diamond bowl still on the island. "What about over there?"

The two of them rushed to the island and reached the bowl, realizing in disbelief that there was barely a mouthful of water left within it. Mina stared at the pathetically small amount and fell to her knees. "Why…how did this happen?"

 _"_ _This is because of you!"_

Izuku and Mina's eyes blurred upward and froze as a figure descended from the sky- an armor-clad being in the vestige of a man. Wearing a full set of golden steel, they could see nothing of what the being inside the armor was, but they were clearly far from human. A pair of shining gold wings fluttered easily as the being touched the ground with a soft clink of metal, towering over them.

The being jabbed a finger at Mina, it's voice thunderous and devoid of any obvious gender. _"You have defiled this place for too long, demon! The waters have fought your curse for as long as they could, but you've finally tainted the fountain and its reservoir into drying up completely!"_

Tears began to fall from Mina's eyes with every word. "B-but…they said I could stay here…"

 _"_ _They offered you a chance to earn the druid's blessing and you failed,"_ the being said coldly. _"You must be destroyed before you taint the fountain beyond repair. You!"_

Izuku jumped as the knight jerked its head toward him. _"Slay her."_

His blood ran cold. Slay her? _Mina?_ This being- however divine it might have been- wanted him to kill Mina?

"Sh-she's done nothing wrong," he stammered, glancing at the crying girl on the ground beside him. "She can't control her magic is all…"

 _"_ _She is a demon! No matter what the druids believe, evil is evil, whatever it may look like,"_ the being declared. _"Now destroy her. I will not ask you again. Destroy her and you will receive the blessing of the druids. That is your task!"_

"No!"

The being actually went silent for a moment at the instant reply, seemingly trying to process that Izuku had the audacity to outright refuse an order.

Izuku reached for his sword. He wasn't going to kill Mina! It didn't matter if she was a demon, she was innocent! She wasn't even here because she wanted to be, she'd been trapped and was at the mercy of whatever violence this world had to throw at her. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve to die and Izuku would not let her be killed.

"Mina, run," Izuku told her, unsheathing Elucidator and stepping between her and the knight. "Get away from here as fast as you can."

"But what about-"

"Run!" He shouted. "I don't know how long I'll be able to fend this guy off!"

Mina scrambled to her feet and fled, racing away into the woods. The knight glared after her. _"You will not escape."_

"You aren't going to touch her!" Izuku yelled, lunging at the knight and slashing at it.

The knight blocked the attack easily and regarded Izuku with contempt. _"Foolish boy. You reject the druid's gift for the sake of a demon?"_

"I'm not going to murder someone so I can have their stupid magic," Izuku snarled, pushing with all he had despite how obviously inferior he was in terms of physical might to this being. "I became a knight to save people, not hunt them down and kill them!"

 _"_ _Nonsense!"_

* * *

Mina raced through the woods until her lungs burned. She took a moment to hide behind a tree and catch her breath, gasping for air and wiping at the tears still streaming down her face. She could hear the faint clanging of steel in the distance- no doubt Izuku still dueling whatever the hell had come down to smite judgement upon her.

Only now did she realize that Izuku was probably no match for the being and would likely die in her place. Mina's heart leapt into her throat now that she had a moment to actually process that. Izuku was going to die if she left him back there.

No…no, no, no, no, no! She didn't want him to die!

 _"_ _He is already bound to die."_

Mina froze at the voice of a druid, whispering through the trees. _"The creature you saw was the guardian of the fountain- a holy knight blessed with the ancient magic of the druids. He will destroy the boy no matter what you do. You two will never be able to defeat him._

 _But there is still hope for you…the mouthful of water in the fountain contains the magic you have sought for so long, dear child. If you but drink it yourself, your magic will stabilize and you can leave this forest. Is it not a fair trade? The life of a single human for your freedom? You can go see your family again if you but slip back to the lake and drink the last bit of water in the fountain. If you do not, you will be hunted until you die."_

The druid went silent. Mina spun around and rushed back to the lake.

* * *

Izuku screamed as his arm shattered from the force of his sword impacting the holy knight's. He'd been forced to use One for All just to match this beings terrible might, but it was breaking his body with every swing. He was slowing down from the agonizing pain and the knight advanced with tireless ease.

At last, the knight disarmed him and lifted his blade for the finishing blow. But he paused at the sound of water trickling and turned to look back at the fountain. Izuku followed his gaze and spotted Mina leaning over the diamond bowl, drinking the last mouthful of water.

The knight roared in rage and made to charge her, but Izuku grabbed at his sword with his broken hands and desperately tried to pull him away from her. With a vicious motion, the knight threw Izuku off and rent him violently from shoulder to hip. The blow devastated the already injured teen and he slumped to the ground in a spray of blood.

Satisfied that his opponent was dying, the knight turned back to the fountain, only to notice that Mina was gone. His wings flicked and propelled him to the bowl, where he growled upon seeing not so much as a drop. He glanced around to see if Mina was hiding anywhere, but she had already fled his sight.

His wings flared out as he prepared to take to the sky and hunt her down. _"You are not safe in these woods! I will destroy you, demon!"_

The sound of movement behind him provoked the guardian into pausing for a moment. Impossible. The boy was surely dead by now. He turned around, sword at the ready, and found himself frozen at the sight his eyes were met with.

Mina leaned over Izuku's prone form, her mouth locked with his as she desperately transferred the last mouthful of water from the fountain to him. As the boy swallowed the magic water, unconscious of the act, his wounds began to heal rapidly.

When the water was gone, Mina pulled away with a gasp, watching desperately for any signs of life. She didn't get but a moment before a terribly painful grip seized her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. She wailed in pain and scrabbled desperately to get free, secreting acid all the while, but it was no use. The armor was enchanted and could not be melted.

 _"_ _You were foolish to come back,"_ the knight said, readying his sword to stab her. _"Atone for your stupidity in the afterlife, you foul thing."_

As he stabbed at her heart, the knight's blade was blown away by a devastating impact. Against a human, it might've ripped their arm from their very body, but to the knight, it was little more than a particularly effective parry that jerked his blade away from the demoness in his grasp. He released her to quickly step back as the same blade stabbed at his face and came to a stop several meters away.

Izuku was back on his feet, his broken arm already healing from his excessive use of One for All. He pulled Mina behind him, keeping one arm wrapped around her as he readied his sword for the next bout. "I will kill you if you touch her!"

Mina was gripping his hand tightly as they faced the towering knight down, knowing that even with Izuku's new enhanced healing, they still might not be able to defeat this being. Her acid was useless and One for All barely fazed the holy knight.

The knight was silent for a few moments and then lowered his sword. The two teenagers tensed, ready for anything, but not expecting the knight to start laughing. A booming sound, yet one that was gentle and amused instead of terrible and mocking as before.

The knight looked at them as he pointed his blade towards the ground. _"Excellent. You've both passed the druid's test."_

Izuku and Mina could only blink. "Huh?"

 _"_ _Forgive me for taking such actions against you,"_ the knight said, his voice becoming lighter and higher pitched. _"The druids had decided it was time to test you. To see if you were worthy of our blessing. And you have proven that you are."_

The knight thrust his sword into the dry earth and the sound of rumbling filled their ears for several moments, then the bowl exploded with water. It overflowed and spread across the ground, refilling the shallow lake until it was full once more. The force of the wave that rushed through their legs nearly knocked them over, but Izuku and Mina clutched onto one another and remained standing.

"The water…" Mina gasped.

"You took it away on purpose so we would have to choose?" Izuku asked, watching as the crystal lake began to settle.

 _"_ _That was your test,"_ the knight said simply. _"You, young man, who hated demons when you first came her, have come to realize that not all of them are as evil as you believe. And you, my dear, who came seeking refuge and cared only for yourself, chose to grant the gift you sought for so long to another. You have both proven yourselves selfless and of fair hearts. Now you each have the druid's blessing."_

The knight began to dissolve into glowing spheres of light, which flew to the plants, animals, and surrounding waters and merged with them. _"We watched you grow much over the last two months. Wherever your paths may lead you now, take each step knowing that you will be protected from most harm. But…never forget what it took to let you achieve your goals here. Farewell, little ones."_

* * *

At the edge of the woods, Izuku and Mina stopped in unison. It was nearly nighttime after their day-long trek through the Forest of Fog. Now that they were at the end of it…they weren't sure quite what to do.

"Where will you go?" Izuku asked her.

Mina scuffed at the ground with her bare feet. "I don't know. Somewhere I can find real clothes, probably. As much as I love this magic robe of yours, it's not that flattering on me~"

Izuku wanted to smirk at her teasing tone, but he frowned instead. "You might not be safe going to a human town on your own."

"I'll manage…" Mina said hesitantly, unsure herself how to proceed.

He couldn't bear this anymore. "Mina, come with me."

Mina looked at him as Izuku stepped closer to her, her voice dropping to a hoarse whisper. "I don't want to ostracize you for being around me."

"I don't care," he said. "My Master will help, I'm sure. He received the druid's blessing, too…I'm positive you'll be safe there with us. Everyone there is really nice once you get to know them…I'm sure they'll like you. Please? I don't want you to go."

She tried to fight the overwhelming sense of happiness creeping into her belly, but it consumed her when he said that.

Izuku's heart almost stopped as Mina wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, her fingers running up to caress his hair. He hesitantly returned the embrace by holding her waist, feeling how soft she was at the touch.

"I'll come with you," she whispered into his ear, lips brushing his skin lightly and causing him to shiver. "Whatever might happen…I'll stay with you, Izu."

He turned his head until their noses bumped lightly and locked his gaze on those beautiful amber irises. Mina's eyes became lidded as she nuzzled him for a moment before slowly pressing her lips against his. Warmth spread over his whole body as she kissed him. Her lips were full and so, so soft. It made him hold her more tightly and her nails scratched at his scalp as a small noise escaped her.

Hours later, when they fell asleep holding one another close, he could still feel them.


	4. Sneaking (Dorms)

_Chapter Four: Sneaking (Dorms)_

It was no secret that Izuku was a shy and awkward person- Mina had figured that out practically the first day of class that he wasn't a socially adept guy. There was nothing bad about that, he was just a quieter kind of person. Plus it was endearing and provided her with endless opportunities for amusement at his expense, especially when they started dating.

She'd known as soon as Izuku agreed (with rather adorable shyness) to go out with her that he wouldn't want to publicize it, at least not immediately. Mina understood that- she was an outgoing person and having been friends with the previously-introverted Eijirou, knew that pushing him wouldn't be good for their relationship. This was new to Izuku and to Mina, and she knew he'd be more comfortable with the subject once he had some time to get used to it.

Mina was okay with waiting to let other people know about them dating, but it was tricky to love on your boyfriend in the U.A dorms when he was terrified of people seeing the two of you together.

This might've frustrated some people, but Mina had a way of finding the good in all situations- and this provided an opportunity for some fun games.

If they were in the kitchen helping Rikido cook something, Mina would wait until their resident master chef turned around before giving Izuku a swift kiss on the cheek. Rikido would then proceed to question why Izuku had turned bright red and this led to the teen stammering to defend himself from absolutely nothing. Going up or down the elevator alone together would lead to Mina kissing Izuku the entire way down and then bouncing away at the last second, leaving his cheeks flushed and his classmates wondering what had just happened to the shy teen.

There were countless other examples of this, and Mina took every single opportunity to render her "secret" boyfriend a blushing mess.

Since they were both still getting used to being intimate with one another, Mina never pushed things too far, but there was a thrill that came with the risk of being discovered. She'd asked Izuku after the first time she surprised him with a secret kiss if he was okay with it, and surprisingly he had found the experience exciting, if extremely embarrassing and terrifying at the same time. So Mina continued with her surprise kisses and flirty gestures when no one was looking and slowly, Izuku began to return the favor.

The most memorable of their little moments was actually Izuku's doing- they'd been outside with the others enjoying a game of hide-and-seek (heroes in-training or not, they were still teenagers and they loved that game dammit) and chose to hide in a small cluster of thick trees. Hidden behind the tree trunks, Mina couldn't make herself stop giggling- she knew Denki would never check this spot out, but Izuku was worried she'd give them away. So he quieted her the best way he knew how.

What followed started with innocent kisses and quickly escalated into them making out for the first time. Izuku ended up pressing Mina's back against the tree, silently kissing her senseless while she scratched at his neck and gripped his hair tightly against the onslaught of sensations rushing through her. Their torsos were pressed flush together, tongues dancing as the teens lost themselves in their fervor. It was a surprise for both of them and they didn't stop until they heard Tsuyu calling for them nearly half an hour later.

The game had ended and no one had found them. Mina was grateful for that, but even she couldn't explain to Tsuyu why her whole face was bright lilac and why she was so out of breath like she'd just run a marathon. Tsuyu hadn't said anything, but she gave Mina and Izuku a little smirk that said everything.

She knew. Tsuyu wouldn't say anything since the pair clearly wanted to keep things quiet for now, but they weren't fooling her anymore.

That had been about a month ago. Izuku and Mina had been more careful about not getting caught again, even though Izuku was getting better with the idea of other people knowing. He was becoming more at ease with the whole subject and Mina found it delightful how obviously comfortable he was at this point. It made the game that much more interesting now that Izuku was just as eager to return the favor and make her blush while no one was watching.

So it should come as no surprise to anyone that, on a Saturday morning roughly three months after they started dating, Mina wandered downstairs to meet her boyfriend after his usual morning run. It was easier on Saturdays to play their little game because most of the students slept in, exhausted from their week-long studies and training. Izuku, however, always got up early to run and Mina was more than eager to mess with him while the rest of their classmates were busy catching up on their sleep.

She had just finished pouring herself a bowl of cereal when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, making her jump. Mina spun around and was met with a grinning Izuku, who was taking obvious enjoyment in being the first to initiate their little sneaking game.

Izuku was also shirtless. Mina _did_ appreciate her boyfriend's effort to spice up her morning. The girls (and certain guys, she reminded herself) could gossip about which boys looked the best, but Mina knew the secret they didn't.

Izuku had the best abs in the class, hands down.

She smirked back and bopped his nose lightly with her spoon. "Morning, babe."

"Morning," Izuku leaned forward slightly to kiss her forehead, sending Mina's heart aflutter. She loved those little, affectionate gestures of his even when he was just trying to make her blush.

His skin felt hot, but it wasn't covered in sweat and his hair was fluffier than normal. The towel hanging over his shoulder was also a dead giveaway. She raised an eyebrow. "You already showered?"

"Yeah, shortened my circuit today," he replied. "Recovery Girl wants me to take it easy. I overstretched my left quad the other day."

Mina grinned. "Guess you're done exercising your legs today, huh?"

"Mmhm," his eyes sparked in that mischievous way she'd learned was a sure sign he was about to pull something ornery on her. Izuku was a shy person most of the time, but once he became comfortable with you, his playful side came out and it was truly the best thing about him. He was all smiles and laughs once he really became at ease with Mina and she loved it.

"You've got that look again, Izu," she said with mock suspicion in her voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She heard something being moved behind her and frowned. "What's- eep!"

Mina yelped as Izuku suddenly lifted her up by her waist and sat her on the counter, causing her to grip his shoulders to keep her balance. She realized he'd quietly moved her bowl of cereal to the side so he could get her in this position and now he was so close she could feel how hot his skin was. He still had that little grin on his face and she could hear him trying to laugh quietly.

She giggled in excitement. "Sneak!"

"Oh, you like it," he murmured, squeezing her hips softly. Mina wrapped her legs behind his back and framed his face with her hands.

"No, I love it," she breathed before kissing him, dragging her nails down his scalp and over his neck. Izuku pressed her firmly against him at the sensation and shivered pleasantly. Mina let her fingers comb through his still-damp hair, losing herself in the taste of his lips and the feeling of his hands rubbing up and down her back-

 _"_ _WHAT THE FUCK?!"_

They separated with a united shriek, spinning towards the source of the voice with wide eyes. The pair of teenagers felt the blood drain from their faces at the sight of one Katsuki Bakugo staring at them as his toothbrush just dropped out of his mouth. He was almost blinded by the sight of a shirtless Izuku making out with Mina on the kitchen counter. There were just some things he didn't want to see and this…listed pretty high up there.

It got better.

"Katsuki, you good man? What was thaaaa…" Eijirou walked in from outside and caught sight of Izuku and Mina frozen in the kitchen, both of them now blushing furiously and incapable of speaking or moving. Maybe if they didn't move, they'd turn invisible and their friends would forget they saw this.

Eijirou's jaw fell open as his eyes widened like an owl's. "Uhhhh…what?"

Mina took a moment to just bury her face in her hands for a moment while Izuku averted his gaze from their friends completely. _"Oh my god,_ both of you go away!"

Eijirou jumped at the sound of Mina's shriek and grabbed a still shellshocked Katsuki by the arm before running outside, away from the embarrassed couple.

Mina uncovered her hands and leaned her head against Izuku's shoulder with a sigh. _God,_ everything felt way too hot right now. Never mind that Katsuki had found out about them, Eijirou had seen them too. There was no way Katsuki would keep him mouth shut and her best friend was going to interrogate her until she gave him all the details.

"I'm sorry, Izu," she groaned.

"It's okay," he replied in a small voice. He squeezed her a little more tightly to him and rubbed her back again. "I mean, they were going to find out soon, anyways…"

Mina lifted her head and looked at him closely. "Are you okay with that?"

He pressed his forehead against hers. "I mean, I am if you are. We've been going out for a while now."

After several moments of silence, she smiled again. "It won't be too much different just because everyone knows about us, you know."

When he frowned in confusion, Mina offered a silly grin. "We can still sneak around when they aren't looking~"

That got a small smirk out of Izuku. "Goof."

"Who's talking?" She snickered before leaning in to kiss him softly.

The kiss lasted a grand total of three seconds before they heard Momo's voice suddenly scream at an incredibly high pitch. "AHHH! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"

It was going to be an interesting day.


	5. Sleepover (Project Partners)

_Chapter Five: Sleepover (Project Partners)_

Mina frowned as she looked across the room at her boyfriend, who himself was frowning deeply. It wasn't the frustrated look he got whenever he found a tough problem in their homework, (that was a rarity, Izuku was way too good at homework) but a worried, almost sad expression. Considering that the Cultural Festival had just ended a couple of days ago and all had gone well, (with the slight interruption of a couple of odd villains) she wasn't sure what could cause him to have such a face.

"Izu? Is something wrong?" She asked.

Izuku jumped out of his thoughts and looked up at her with a startled expression. "H-huh? No- no, nothings wrong! Everything's…"

Mina raised an eyebrow with a silent challenge to him, questioning the boy without words if he actually though she was going to buy that. Sure, they hadn't been dating a super long time, (barely three months, actually) but when you were training to work in dangerous situations and living together on top of that, you learned how people ticked quickly.

She knew Izuku would rather hide his problems than "bother" people with them even if he really needed to share that load on his shoulders. He made an effort to avoid doing that altogether, actually, and it wasn't healthy. There was a difference between constantly complaining and opening up when something went wrong.

They'd had to experience that the hard way after the Eight Precepts Raid. Izuku had felt so, so guilty for what happened to Mirio and the death of Nighteye that he'd broken down. Mina had had no idea her boyfriend was carrying so much on his shoulders until he couldn't hold it anymore and lost his cool completely.

She learned something very important that day: She and Izuku needed to be more open so that they could support one another when things got rough. Mina had been worried about his stress for the weeks coming up to the raid, but she had no idea it had been as severe as it was. She had since vowed to never let him bottle stuff up like that again and she, in turn, would trust him with her problems whenever she needed to get something off his chest.

Izuku was starting to figure that out. He quieted, stopping himself from making and excuse and fidgeted anxiously. "It's..it's Eri."

Mina blinked. "What about her?"

"She's…I think she needs someone to be with her."

"Meaning…?"

Izuku bit his lip. "I was wondering if…if we could c-c-cancel date night today and..and give her some company?"

Mina tilted her head at him. He looked ready to break into a cold sweat, and though it wasn't funny, (okay, it was kind of funny) Mina understood why he was so nervous asking that. He was still getting used to the whole idea of being in a relationship. "Izu, canceling date night isn't the end of the world. Of course we can lose a night to be with Eri. What'd you have in mind?"

"Well…she's never seen a movie before and I thought-"

"Whoa, whoa, back up," Mina held her hands up. "You're telling me that she's never seen a movie?"

"No…"

"Played a video game?"

"No…"

Mina stared at him. "Tell me she's at least had a sleepover before."

"Um…I doubt it?"

Mina stood up and marched to the door. Izuku stared after her. "M-Mina?"

"Get your shoes," she told him. "We are going to the hospital and we are going to kidnap that sweet child for a night of fun she will never forget! You and I have a project, Izu! We are going to make Eri the happiest freaking kid the world's ever seen!"

Izuku scrambled after her. "M-Mina, you can't kidnap her!"

* * *

As it turned out, the kidnapping was unnecessary. Eri's doctor was okay with her going to U.A for a night, suggesting that it would be good for her mental health to be with Izuku and the others. Eri was all for it- she practically latched onto Izuku the moment he walked into her "room" and said she was going to have a sleepover.

She wasn't used to Mina yet, and so was a little quiet around her, but the pink girl was all smiles and giggles around Eri and she was absolutely contagious, especially since Eri had discovered at the Cultural Festival the joy that was smiling. It didn't take long for Mina to have the little girl smiling and attached to her.

Mina led them up to her room and the trio immediately threw themselves into the nonstop roller coaster that was Mina's idea of a sleepover. Starting with movies, Mina and Izuku introduced Eri to the wonderful world of video games and the bright-eyed girl was entirely too excited for their hearts to take with each and every experience.

As things began to wind down, Izuku stepped outside for a bit so Mina could help Eri change into her pajamas. He smiled to himself- the night was a total success. Eri was having a great time and he and Mina were enjoying themselves, too. It hadn't been a bad idea to ask about skipping date night. On the contrary, this might have been the best night they'd had yet.

"Izu! Come back in!"

He returned to the room to find a pair of sleepy and incredibly comfy-looking girls. Eri was already lying down on the bed and looked ready to pass out despite the goofy grin on her face. Izuku was pretty sure she hadn't stopped smiling once tonight.

Mina tilted her head in the direction of the bed. "Wanna kill the lights? It'll be hard to sleep with them on."

Izuku blinked. "Oh, sure, I'll get them on my way out."

"Silly, you're not going anywhere," Mina walked over and took his hands, pulling him towards the bed. Izuku gulped, but managed to extract one hand to flip the lights off. Yeah, Eri was there and he'd never _dream_ of trying anything, but it was still _his girlfriend's bed_ and well…it felt like forbidden territory.

Regardless, he was gently dragged over, where Mina decided that Eri would sleep between them. She crawled over the little girl and helped pull her into a comfortable spot, then patted the empty space on the bed for Izuku to join them. With some awkwardness and hesitation, he did so, slipping under the blankets and resting his head so he could look at the two sleepy girls.

Eri hugged an arm from each of them close to her and passed out not ten seconds later, completely dead to the world with the biggest, goofiest smile on her face. Mina smiled softly as she watched Eri. "We did good. I think she had a blast."

"Yeah," Izuku agreed, feeling his insides go soft upon seeing the precious expression on Eri's face. "Thanks for agreeing to this."

"Are you kidding? I love her, Izu," Mina gently nuzzled the sleeping child and sighed as her eyes closed. "I'd do this anytime."

Izuku nodded slightly and smiled as he felt Eri gently squeeze his hand in her sleep.

"Hey," Mina got his attention again with a soft murmur. She opened her eyes just slightly, the soft amber almost glowing in the dark. Maybe it was because of the moment or the situation or just that she was really, really sleepy, but Mina let those words leave her lips for the first time without even thinking about it. "I love you."

She fell asleep then, leaving Izuku a blushing mess for the better part of an hour before he finally became too tired to remain conscious and also passed out.


	6. Adoption (Family)

_Chapter Six: Adoption (Family)_

When Izuku and Mina had told their parents their plan not two years after they graduated from U.A, they'd all been surprised. Well, not necessarily surprised about the plan, just that they were going through with it as soon as this. Izuku and Mina were rising stars in the Pro scene, after all- adopting a child seemed like it might not be the best idea at the time. Not to mention they'd only been married for the last six months. Caring for a child was going to be a huge test for their relationship, as it was with all of them.

But Izuku and Mina had argued that adopting Eri now was for the best. She was nearly ten now and though she lived in foster care the last three years, she often visited U.A to spend time with Izuku, Mina, and the rest of 1-A. But she always found herself spending most of her time with Izuku and Mina; the three of them just clicked really well and she saw them as her surrogate parents more so than any of the foster care people in charge of her.

Izuku and Mina suggested to their parents that adopting Eri now would be easier on them all- no longer would Eri have to live in a foster home and it would be easier to adapt to her presence in their home now than it would later down the line when their positions as heroes was further cemented. Right now, their schedules and positions in the hero society were still flexible and could be adjusted accordingly to a certain degree.

More importantly, they wanted to be a bigger part of Eri's life, even more so than they already were. She'd confessed more than once throughout their years at U.A that she wanted Izuku and Mina to be her real parents. Now, as adults, it was actually within their power to make that wish of hers possible and they were more than happy to fulfill it.

A long, serious talk about the idea of adoption took place at Mina and Izuku's apartment when they invited Inko and Mina's parents over. In the end, after making sure they had a very detailed plan, (Izuku had practically micromanaged every possible thing that he could the same way he detailed his journals) their parents agreed that the idea was sound. They'd also agreed to help in any way they could- money wasn't an issue since Izuku and Mina were making pretty good incomes at their individual hero offices, but there was always the possibility that Eri might need a babysitter at some point.

The next day, Izuku and Mina called the foster home that was caring for Eri and asked about what they'd need to get approval for adoption. The list was long and detailed, but they had researched extensively and already knew most of the stuff they needed. There were a few minor details that needed smoothing out, but they were able to get someone from the agency to come by and inspect their home by the end of the week.

Approval was gained and one more week later, they were given the go ahead to come pick Eri up.

* * *

"Izu, are we going to have lunch?" Eri asked Izuku as they drove to the apartment with Inko. They'd picked her up several hours earlier for breakfast and to go to a park Eri was fond of. When she asked where Mina was, Izuku had replied that she was busy at work.

"Yup," Izuku replied, trying to contain his anxiety. He knew Eri would love the idea of living with them, but he wasn't sure how she'd react to being surprised like this. This was going to be a big deal, after all.

"Grandma, are you cooking?" Eri asked Inko. She loved Inko's cooking- Izuku's was good, but Inko was a phenomenal cook and Eri adored everything she ever made.

"I will be," Inko promised, smiling at Eri's name for her. Gosh, Eri had been calling her that ever since the little girl decided she wanted to live with Izuku and Mina. She glanced in the rearview mirror and laughed upon seeing Eri drool at the thought of Inko's cooking.

They arrived at the apartment after a short drive from the park and walked to the door. Eri hadn't been in here for a couple of weeks now- Izuku and Mina had distracted her from the apartment with fun trips to the park, zoo, or something else to keep her mind off of it whenever they weren't working.

They walked into the residence and Eri realized that Mina's parents were waiting in the kitchen and already cooking. "Grandpa! Nana!"

"Heya, squirt," Mr. Ashido grinned as she ran over to hug him and his wife. The Ashidos had come by earlier to help out, though their younger children were still in school at the moment. They'd be around later.

Izuku patted Eri's shoulder. "Hey, wanna check out something new we've been working on?"

Eri bobbed her head up and down rapidly. "Yes!"

Inko couldn't contain the large smile on her face. "You two leave the cooking to us, okay? It'll be done soon."

Eri blinked, curious as to why Inko and the Ashidos looked so very…happy. Mind you, they were usually cheerful people, but there was something odd about the way they were acting right now. It was kind of weird, especially when she could have sworn she heard Mrs. Ashido mutter lowly "get the camera" as Izuku ushered her down the hall.

They stopped at the guest bedroom and Eri tilted her head, confused. She usually stayed in this room whenever she slept over with Izuku and Mina, and it even had a plate on the front with her name on it.

She glanced at Izuku curiously as he nodded towards the door. "Go on, open it."

Eri opened the door and peered inside. The room had been redone completely, but the first thing she noticed was the grinning woman sitting on the bed. Eri lit up and ran to her. "Mama!"

"Come here!" Mina laughed and swept the little girl up, falling back onto the bed to make Eri squeal with laughter. She tickled Eri and the child writhed in a fit of giggles for a little while until Mina gave her a break.

The pair of them sat up and Eri took a moment to inspect the room some more. They'd really gone out with the decorations. The bed had new, pink sheets and fluffy white pillows. The walls had been freshly painted a soft shade of yellow- her favorite color. A new dresser was in one corner and there was a calendar on one of the walls near the bed. Opposite the bed was a desk with a lamp and, to Eri's delight, a mountain of art supplies for her favorite activities. There was even a huge plush cushion on the floor that could hold two people on it with ease.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed, bouncing off the bed and running around to inspect it all.

"Like it?" Izuku grinned. He cast a glance towards Mina with a silent question in his eyes and she smiled hugely, inclining her head towards the dresser. "Eri, check out what's inside the dresser."

Eri did so without hesitating, sure that Izuku and Mina had hidden something else really cool inside of the furniture piece. She blinked in confusion when all she found were…clothes. Her clothes. Her favorite t-shirt, one she knew for a fact she had left at the foster home because it had still been in the wash that morning, was the first piece of clothing she spotted.

"What's this doing here?" She asked, confused.

Mina came up behind her and squeezed the girl's shoulder. "Well, it's your room. You'll have to keep your clothes here, right?"

"My room?" Eri glanced around, not really understanding. Yeah, she was over here a lot, but…

Izuku approached and knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. "Eri, you're going to live with us from now on."

"Eh?" Eri stared at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah," he squeezed her hands gently. "Mama and I got the foster home's permission to adopt you. You won't have to go back there tonight. You'll be staying at home with us, instead."

Eri stared at him blankly for a grand total of ten seconds as she tried to convince herself she wasn't just imagining things. "R-really?"

"Yeah," Mina said softly, softly caressing the little girl's hair. "We're your _real_ mama and papa now, Eri. And you're our daughter."

Eri's gaze darted back and forth from Izuku to Mina (both of whom feared for a moment that her head would fly off with how fast she was twisting it) for several seconds before she let out a cry and tackled Mina with the biggest hug she'd ever given anyone.

Izuku stood up as Mina lifted their little girl up and hugged her tightly, which he quickly joined. Eri wept in joy, more than happy to be crushed between her parents as they squeezed with all the love and affection they could muster. The three of them disappeared into their own little world as Inko and the Ashidos started snapping photos and recorded a video from the door, all the while crying themselves and grinning like fools.

Their first grandchild was older and had popped up sooner than they expected, but with her bright personality, trademark expertise in waterworks, and the little horn on her head, she might as well have been blood related to Izuku and Mina.

And they couldn't have been happier to invite her into their family.

* * *

The welcoming party for Eri lasted for the rest of the day, which saw the arrival of several friends and Mina's younger siblings. It was a wonder they hadn't received a noise complaint, but they managed to keep things under control and everyone took off when nighttime finally came around and it was time for them to get back home. Inko and the Ashidos were the last to leave, but they promised Eri they'd be back tomorrow to spend more time with her.

Izuku started the dishwasher and sighed, relieved that he was finally done cleaning up after the party. He felt light and happy- more so than he'd been in a while. Feeling ready for bed, he removed his shirt and put it into a hamper for when the current load of laundry in the washing machine was ready to be dried, then made a beeline for Eri's room.

He peered in and felt his heart melt. Mina was curled up on the bed with Eri, hugging the sleepy child (who had changed into pajamas while he was cleaning up) to her and humming softly to help her doze off. Eri resisted valiantly with soft mumbles that she wanted to say goodnight to her papa, too- which Izuku was more than happy to oblige to.

He walked over, returning the smile Mina shot him, and leaned over to gently kiss Eri's cheek. "Goodnight, baby girl. Sweet dreams."

Eri finally let herself close her eyes and passed out in Mina's embrace, nuzzling closer to her mother. Mina squeezed Eri and softly patted the space on the little girl's other side for Izuku to join them. He lay down at her request and reached for the lamp to turn the light off- it had already been more or less decided that the three of them would sleep here tonight.

In the dark of Eri's room, Izuku wrapped one of his arms around Mina and their daughter, holding them close. Eri only seemed to sleep even more comfortably now that she was happily squished between her parents.

Mina sighed as she watched their daughter's face. "This takes me back…remember the first time we did this?"

"Yeah," Izuku replied quietly. "A lot's changed."

Mina snorted softly. "That's an understatement. But…it's been a good kind of change."

"Mm."

The room was quiet for a while except for the sound of their breathing. Mina eventually broke the silence with a few soft words. "I love you, Izu. I love both of you so much."

He smiled and leaned over Eri carefully to kiss Mina's cheek. "I love you, too. Come on, let's get some sleep. She's still gonna be pumped up tomorrow."

Mina grinned and snuggled further into the bed. "Please, she's gonna be excited for the next week."


	7. Chaos (Same Hairstylist)

_Chapter Seven: Chaos (Same Hairstylist)_

Curls generally fell into two categories: the kind that was manageable and could be kept under control with a little effort, and the kind that was the physical embodiment of chaos itself and would deny and and all attempts to bring it to heel.

Izuku was gifted with the latter of those two options and it had been a huge chore to keep up with for as long as he could remember. Hairstylists struggled to keep his unruly locks under control whenever he went to get them cut and over the years, he'd more or less given up on finding someone who could make his hair look less…well, messy.

That was until he started dating Mina, who had the same chaotic hair and heard Izuku's plight.

"Come give my hairstylist a shot," she suggested with a grin. Her boyfriend's hair was getting kind of long and as the months warmed, it was becoming uncomfortable. "She's really good at getting hair like ours under control!"

Izuku gave her a dubious look. Mind you, he knew that Mina's hair wasn't nearly as choppy as his was after a haircut and he was curious about how the heck her stylist managed to make it look so good right after a haircut. His always looked really ragged for a week or so after it was cut and he had to wait for it to grow some more before it started looking better.

Why not?

* * *

Izuku couldn't believe his eyes. Literally could not. Mostly because the odds of Mina's hairstylist being who she was were like one in a million.

Mitsuki Bakugo twirled a pair of scissors around her finger and grinned lopsidedly. "Yo, Mina. Come for a trim?"

"Nah, boyfriend's hair was getting a little too caveman for my liking," she snickered. They'd come to Mitsuki's workplace, a stylist's shop in the mall, to get Izuku's hair cut.

Mitsuki glanced at Izuku and a huge smirk came over her face at the sight of the stunned teenager. "Surprise."

"How- what- when…" Izuku could barely get the words out of his mouth.

Mitsuki cackled and gestured to Mina. "Please, she's been getting her hair cut by me since she was little. Her dad and my husband are friends. Anyways…I've always wanted to have a go at trimming your hair up. Every time Inko brought you over to play when you were little, your hair was such a mess I was tempted to do it there."

She cracked her knuckles and grinned savagely- the origin of Katsuki's own vicious smile. "Now come to the back and let me have at the jungle you've got sitting on your head."

* * *

Thirty minutes later and Izuku was even more surprised than he'd been when they met up with Mitsuki. Not only was his hair cut, but it was cut really well. It didn't look choppy at all and it looked even better than when he tried to clean it up himself on an average day.

Mina gave a wolf-whistle as her boyfriend walked out with his hair freshly cut. "Damn, thanks Mitsuki!"

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to style that curly mess he's got," Mitsuki grinned. "You did me a favor."

Izuku glanced at Mitsuki in astonishment. "How'd you get it to look so good? None of the other hairstylists have ever gotten it this way before."

"Well, your average stylist is used to dealing with straight hair most of the time," Mitsuki explained. "But you can't treat curly hair with the same style as straight. It makes the curls work against each other and you just get a bigger mess. You just gotta direct the chaos in the right direction instead of forcing it to go somewhere it doesn't want to. How do you think I raised Katsuki?"

Izuku sweat-dropped. That…actually explained a lot.

Mina nudged her boyfriend and shot him a sly grin. "I'm gonna have to drag you out here every time you need a haircut if this is what I get to see. Boy you look fiiiiiine~"

Izuku's face turned cherry red as Mina and Mitsuki cackled, but even he admitted it was kind of fun.

* * *

 **A/N: Wow, I wrote a chapter that's less than 1,000 words for once, but I couldn't come up with much else for this prompt lol. That's it! IzuMina week 2018 is complete! Now I'm not sure if I'll do another one of these week-long challenges for anything else because this didn't get people as excited as I'd hoped, but it was still fun :) So anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this fun little project of mine and for my big readers, look forward to new chapters of both Challenger and Viridescent coming soon!**


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